Former Sheriff Tony Estrada authorized nearly $200,000 in unearned overtime pay to 77 employees between 2013 and 2018. This practice involved directing staff to record 7,220 hours of unworked overtime on their timesheets. An audit revealed that this unauthorized compensation began around 2000. In April 2021, the Arizona Auditor General referred the case for potential criminal charges related to misuse of public funds and solicitation of forgery. Estrada and his former captain, Ruben Fuentes, settled a lawsuit in January 2022 by agreeing to pay a combined $10,000, with the county’s risk management company contributing an additional $20,000. Estrada retired in late 2020 after serving seven terms as sheriff.
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